Look at Me
by Pansk
Summary: Naruto is awakened by the Kyuubi one morning, but for what purpose? To seek this out, he searches for Sasuke. Sakura, Sai, Kakashi, and Iruka follow after him. Light yaoi.
1. Invisible

_Don't through me!_

_Don't through me like I'm not here! Please! Don't!_

_NO! NO! Look at me! Look at me! I'm here!_

_ I'm not invisible! Please! Look at me! See me!  
_

_How long must I wave my arms before someone notices me here?! Help! Help me! Please! I'm drowning in this sensation--! Save me!_

_Save me! Listen to me! Hate me! Fear me! Just look at me! Please! I'm begging you! Look at me! Don't turn away and spit on the ground! Look at me! Me! Please! Anyone…? Isn't there… anyone… who will look at me…? Anyone…? Anyone at all…? Please…look at me. Just a look. I don't care-! Look at me! Please!_

_Save me! Someone… anyone… save me from this… this thing I've become… please? Won't anyone listen to what I have to say…? Will no one look at me like I'm a person? Why do they look so…? As if I'm not here… Why is that? Do they hate me? Fear me? Why won't they look at my face?_

_Anyone? I'm lost here… please… someone… save me…_

Hello.

_Huh? Who are you? Why won't they look at me? Do you know?_

Yes. Yes, I know well why they will not look upon ye. I alone know why they look down upon ye as if ye were the scum on the bottom of their shoes.

_Why? Why do they look away, or have fear in their eyes when they look at me?_

I thought that that was easy to see -- they fear ye, little one. Is it not a wonderful feeling little one? All of them fear what ye are. They hath no pity for ye. They scorn ye, hate ye, but will'na touch ye for fear that ye are the plague.

_Why…? What have I done to them? Hang on – who are you? Why do you talk to me? Why do you seem to understand me? Why –_

Why, why, why, why. Is that all ye will ask o' me?

_No…why?_

'Why' indeed, little one. I shalt take pity on ye this time. Ye may call me Kyuubi. I live inside of ye and share thy closest secrets and desires. I am the reason they fear ye. The reason they hate ye.

_What…? Why? Are we alone? Will no one look at us… Kyuubi? Why do they scorn me as if I don't exist?_

Ye shalt learn the rest in time, little one. Rest, I shalt explain everything when ye are old enough to understand it all.

_But--!_

No. Sleep. I shalt guard thy sleep from those who would take advantage of ye. Sleep little one. Fear not. While I am bound to ye, I shall protect ye.

_Why Kyuubi? Is it because I am your friend? Are you my friend Kyuubi?_

…Of course, I am ye friend. I am thy companion. I know thy deepest thoughts. Only a true friend can know that. Now, rest.

_Alright… goodnight…. Kyuubi…_

Kukukuku. Goodnight, little one. Rest well.

-----

**Afterword  
**

Hope you enjoyed this, it's a story I've been working on for weeks. This is just the begining of it though. It was originally a twenty-page story that I broke down into about... five or six sections and it's still going on! I've managed to combine several different characters into different stories, to see which character the current chapter will be about, just look at the top of the page with the disclaimer.

This story includes several possible different pairings. There are only a few that I know of for sure, that those two are SasuNaru ( my first ever! ;3 ) and KakaIru. Of course, one might find small parts that may be considered SaiSakura ( even though I really don't like that pairing, it somehow popped up while I was writting. Oo;; ) and _possibly_ some wanna-be KarinSasuke. Though Sasuke keeps shoving her off. ;3 Yes, this story took me a while to write, and since it's still going on I hope you'll see it through till the end and give me the encouragement that I'll need to finish this story! I'll post the first few chapters tonight, the others I should probably edit to make them longer. Maybe not. I 'unno yet. Anyway, I leave you to **Look at me**

**Disclaimer **Naruto belongs to Kishimoto and him alone... though I wish he'd give me Iruka... 3


	2. Understanding why

**Characters **Naruto, Kyuubi, Sakura, Sai

**Summary** The Kyuubi awakens Naruto one morning, but before he can explain anything, Sakura comes by to deliver some astonishing news about Sasuke, Naruto reacts violently to the news and attacks Sakura! Luckily, Sai is nearby and stops Naruto before he harms her, Naruto, deeply ashamed of himself, flees from Konoha and has a talk with the beast inside of him, the Kyuubi tells him to go and search for Sasuke, then kicks Naruto out.

**Disclaimer **I don't own the Naruto characters, but the plot is mine. ;

* * *

_Little one._

Sapphire orbs snapped open. Above them, the wrinkled ceiling stared back with a blank face. The eyes drifted closed once more, the heart in the body was pounding slowly, slowly, and it slowed with each pound of the heart. Air came in; slower and slower until it was deep breaths, a pause, and then the breath would be expelled in a soft _whooshing_ sound.

_Wake up little fox._

Sapphire eyes snapped open once more, a young face, older than twelve, but younger than twenty started at the ceiling far above his head. With a frown that was more because he didn't know the voice than from being awoken, the boy blinked slowly. One of his hands reached up and rubbed his left eye for a few moments. He yawned slowly. "Huh? Who are you?" He asked softly, speaking aloud. He blinked several more times, trying to rub the sleep from his azure eyes.

_Does't thou not remember me?_

The disembodied voice asked softly, a light sound, the voice was almost disappointed. _Damnit, why do I care what a voice sounds like? Who is that anyway?_ The blonde-haired male thought to himself as he looked above his head towards the window, he yawned; it was early in the morning. What had awakened him? Or better yet, _why_ had it awakened him?

_I shalt admit it has been a long time since ye and I chatted last, but ye can'na have forgotten me that quickly my little fox._

"Ehhhhh!?" Naruto said, jolting upright in his bed, the blanket was thrown up and folded down by his knees as he looked around. He blinked several times, his body still not fully awake. He looked to the left, the right, above him, and then, in an afterthought, he looked behind him and even under him. "Who are you? Why--How do you know me?" He asked, his mature voice whispered into the silence of his quiet room. The faint light of the moon and stars outside were fading as the sun rose higher and higher.

_I am Kyuubi, does't that no' ring a bell?_

Naruto's spine stiffened as he listened to the voice. _The Kyuubi. The Nine-tailed demon fox…I-I almost forgot about him. What does he want with me?_ The jinchuriki asked himself silently. Unconsciously, his left hand reached for his stomach and rested upon the seal while his right hand lifted and touched his face on the cheek. Under his calloused fingertips he could feel the lines on his face that were, theoretically, whiskers. He blinked several times and frowned.

_It's been awhile since ye have called upon my powers. Why?_

"I've tried not to use them too much Fox."

_Does't thou fear them? The raw power I give ye to save thy little friends?_

"No… it's not that Fox."

_Then what is the reason little fox?_

"I—I can't remember anything when I tap too much into your power."

_Really now? Interesting little one. Tell me, does't thou remember what I promised ye when thou was younger?_

"No…"

_Then allow me to explain, little fox. The reas---!_

"Naruto-kun! Where are you?! We're supposed to be leaving now!"

"EEHHH?! Sa-sakura-chan! I'll be there in a moment-tebayo!"

That distracted the youth, who hadn't noticed that the sun was now fully up. He'd been talking to Kyuubi so long, and yet it had felt so short. He quickly sorted through his clothing and flew out the door and almost knocked over the waiting Sakura. He blinked several times and dove to the side just in time to dodge around her. "Ow." He said simply as he crashed into a wall, his feet somehow in the air and his head at an almost ninety degree angle with the ground.

Sakura was chuckling, looking at him, her emerald eyes met his sapphire ones. She nodded her head, trying to keep the smile that tugged at the sides of her mouth from showing, suffice to say, the chuunin medical-nin failed at that and ended up laughing at Naruto's position as he righted himself and looked at her, grimacing slightly. He chuckled, embarrassed. His cheeks flaming, he looked at Sakura and blinked a few more times. "Mission?" He asked, trying to distracted her from what had happened a few moments ago.

She instantly was back to business, "Er- right." She straightened and looked directly at him, "I assume you've heard the news?" She asked him, knowing he hadn't. After all, the genin had only returned a few days ago from a C-ranked mission with another team. Naruto blanched and looked at her. He frowned and shook his head; trying to save what dignity he had left. He looked at her, "Ah… no… not really. What's the news?" He asked, hoping she wasn't going to be difficult and launch into another speech about 'How a good ninja always knows what's going on around him, even if he is on a mission.' He sighed.

When she didn't launch into the speech that was oh-so-familiar, he knew it had to be something to do with Sasuke. His body instantly tightened like a rope wound tight. He was all business now as he waited for Sakura to start talking. She nodded her head, having caught the look in his eye; it was the same look she got whenever something about Sasuke was mentioned. It surprised her for a moment how he knew it was going to be about Sasuke, but she allowed it to pass, she'd ask him about it later on, when they were well on their mission.

"A man came to the gates of Konohagakure a few days ago with some interesting information on our former teammate." She started, looking at Naruto, "He spoke about a plan to bring 'World-Peace' but that wasn't all he said. The most interesting tidbit has yet to come." She said, indicating with a finger that Naruto should follow her. She started to walk and talk at the same time. Sakura had found out that this simple motion of moving her body helped to calm her down enough to allow her to talk about Sasuke.

Naruto knew something was wrong; he looked at her and paced by her side in a second's notice. He looked at her and blinked several times before tapping her on the shoulder, careful that he could dodge in case she should accidentally try to hit him. He was surprised to see that there were tears in her emerald orbs. "Sakura…?" He asked hesitantly, not wanting to be hit by her fists, he grabbed her shoulder and pulled her to a stop. He looked at the strong female who had matured in more ways than one under Tsunade's 'tender' care. "What happened to Sasuke?" He asked, his voice serious, Sakura looked at him.

"He…Sasuke that is…" She fumbled, looking for words that suddenly seemed too far away from her tongue to speak. She took a few gulps and lay a her right hand on Naruto's right hand, the one that was touching her left shoulder. She blinked a few times, then the rose-haired female gathered her strength and delivered the most astonishing news of all –

"Sasuke has slain Orochimaru."

What happened next was a complete shock to Sakura, for she had expected rage from Naruto, even sadness, or possible glee. What she wasn't ready for was the pain that entered her shoulder like claws grasping at her skin. She cried out in pain, having felt blood start to rush out of her now-wounded shoulder. She glanced over at Naruto was; her heart stopped, tears filled her eyes. _Oh… Naruto…_ she thought silently, staring at the suddenly still figure.

He hadn't even noticed his nails growing longer, that change was as natural to him as anything else was. Naruto's fingertips dug into the female shinobi's shoulder, his teeth grew more pointed and the 'whiskers' on his face were more pronounced. But that wasn't the worst change, no; Naruto's eyes had gone feral. Like a seriously irritated fox, his pupils had become more cat-like, narrow and silted; there was intense anger in those orbs. Naruto couldn't hear anything either, he didn't notice the cries of pain from Sakura or the smell of blood that had gathered around his hand. His other hand, hanging at his waist was curled into a ball; sharp nails had also drawn blood from the palm of his hand. In fact, his red eyes weren't staring at anything other than the floor.

It wasn't until the salty smell of tears assaulted his nose and a pale hand had grasped his wrist and wrenched his hand off the shoulder of Sakura that he blinked and calmed slightly. He stared into the calm eyes of Sai, who stared back at him, one hand on the brush that he carried. Sai maneuvered between the two and now stood in front of Sakura, who was trying to stop the bleeding that Naruto's claws had inflicted upon her. Naruto's eyes opened wide, his mouth opened and closed wordlessly as he looked at the blood on her shoulder and then to his hand, at the blood dripping off his nails. It scared him; he looked back up at Sai, his face the picture of pure shock. "What--!? Sakura! Sakura-chan! Are you alright?!" Naruto asked, taking a step forward, Sai blocked him, "Stay away from her." He said, his tone was an even monotone, but something about it suggested that Naruto wouldn't like what would happen to him if he took another step foreward.

He instead took a step backwards and looked at Sai in bewilderment, he looked down at the claws on the tips on his hands. With an absent-minded and slightly distant thought Naruto though _Huh. I bet Kiba would kill for nails like this huh?_ No one else could match the shame that filled his entire being. He cringed back when he saw the green glow of the medical jutsu and cringed even more when Sakura called out to him. Finally, Naruto couldn't take it anymore – he fled the scene. He bolted off at as fast a pace as he could maintain ( which was pretty damn fast ) and soon was bolting out of the Konoha gates and into the forest. He didn't stop running and charging over tree branches until he was deep in the forest; the kitsune claws were still there when he stopped.

Naruto looked at them in disbelief. Where had they come from? What were they? Uzumaki tried to make sense of the new changes to his body when he sat down and leaned against the rough bark of the tree. The sunlight drifted over his face as the sun tried to reach its zenith.

Naruto blinked several times and eyed his hands, he raised the hand, which looked more like something Kiba would have than he would, and touched the normally small whiskers on his face. He blinked and explored the gouges in his skin where the whiskers enlarged. He blinked, _What's going on…?_

_Ah. Finally, ye have asked a perfectly reasonable question._

"Fox, you've better have an explanation for this." Naruto growled angrily, his tone a dark warning to the demon spirit that shared his body and fate, "Damn you! What did you do to me-tebayo!" He asked angrily, baling his fists once more. Wincing slightly as the hand he'd already sliced open bled more, he hadn't had time to bandage it yet. Not that that would matter in a few seconds, it would heal over that fast anyway; it always did.

_I have done nothing; other than what ye asked for._

The sarcastic voice of the Kyuubi gnawed on the already fraying patience of the blonde genin. Naruto balled his fists tighter and closed his eyes; he looked deep into himself and entered the waterlogged halls of his inner being. Naruto turned a corner and looked at the great gates that held the Kyuubi caged within his body. He frowned as he looked at the wide smile of the great fox spirit. "Alright Fox. I want answers and I want them now! What have you done to me-tebayo?!" He demanded angrily, looking at the insane eyes behind the gate.

_What does't thou mane, what have I done? I have done nothing. Ye brought this upon thyself._

The fox's sneering voice came to him a second after the boy's voice had died out. Naruto balled his fists and glowered at the fox, "No! You did this! You did it! I never asked for it!" Naruto yelled at the fox-spirit. The fox made a sound that sounded like a snort and chuckled at him evilly.

_Fufufu. Of course ye haven't asked this o' me. I gave it o' me own free will. Does't thou not enjoy thy present?_

"Present? This is supposed to be a present Fox!?" Naruto raged at the fox who leered at him nastily. Naruto's rage built. "What do you want from me your monster?!" Naruto asked angrily, looking at the being that Yondaime Hokage had sealed into his body so long ago.

_I crave freedom, little fox. Sheath thy tongue, cans't thou blame me for wishing for freedom? I have been jailed in here for longer than I care to remember. Does't thou understand now?_

"You had no right! This is my body! Mine! You hurt Sakura-chan!" Naruto said angrily, he glowered at the voice of the Fox, it was drifting around him now, the bubbling mass of underfoot became smaller, a more compact shape. The Kyuubi twined around his legs; rubbing his arched back lie a cat would against Naruto's legs. Naruto crouched down; in a flash the kitsune's claws racked his shoulders and shoved him down onto his back.

_Why does't thou reject everything I try and do for ye? Why? Is it because ye want me to take back my gift little fox? …No? Then be silent._

The kitsune growled at him. Naruto gulped a little and looked at the miniature kyuubi that was now sitting on his chest. He growled and managed to speak a little, "But – why Sakura-chan? If you know me than you must know that I care about her!" The Kitsune looked at him reproachfully. He flashed his teeth at the boy and pinned his ears.

'_Tis true that ye care for the female, but it is also true that ye does't not love her._

"Wha--? Of course I love her! I've always loved her-tebayo!" Naruto retorted, he looked at the Kitsune who stood up again, hackles bristling angrily. Naruto looked at the fox and frowned, why did he getting so angry with Naruto liking someone? Sapphire eyes blinked as the Kitsune glared back at him.

_Ye lie as well as Shukaku steals the personality from those he is trapped in when they are awake. She is not the one ye love the most, and I will'na accept 'er._

"Wha-what are you talking about Fox?" Naruto cried, he looked in a panic at the kitsune who was snarling at him now, "I-I don't like anyone else-t-tebayo!" He said, blushing fiercely from one cheek to the other. He looked at the ground, refusing to meet the insane orbs of the Kyuubi.

_Liar. Ye've dreamed of him ever since thy last encounter with him. He has seen me and accepted ye. Did thou not see the fear in the female's eyes when she saw the real ye? How can she accept ye? Ye know o' who I speak. That Uchiha boy; Sasuke._

The name was like a whiplash acrossed his face. His mouth opened and he grabbed for the fox, "No! No I do not like Sasuke-kun! I'm not gay-tebayo!" He yelled at the fox, making a grab for the beast's neck, the Kitsune nimbly dodged to the side and nipped at his hand, drawing blood from the small wound his sharp teeth had inflicted on the other being.

_Ye do. I know thy dreams. Ever' night ye dream ye are with him, holding him, kissing him. Ye dream of him in ways that even make me hesitant to say aloud. Ye get angry when ye think of him in the clutches of that Snake. Thy anger rises when ye dream about what they might be doing every night…_

"STOP! I-! I do not-tebayo! No! NO! I DO NOT-TEBAYO!!"

_Admit it little Fox. Ye are in love wit' Uchiha Sasuke. The Heir of the Uchiha clan, ye even dream o' his brother, Itachi, sometimes. Ye love that Sasuke. Admit it._

"Fine… fine…" Naruto's voice was hoarse now as he looked at the water that came up to his elbows as he lay there, his sapphire orbs oddly blank. "I love him. I love Sasuke. I want to hold him close and keep him all to myself. I want him to be mine-tebayo..." Naruto said softly, his voice a monotone of sound. He felt blank, empty, his deepest secret had been revealed to this fox.

_What are ye goin' to do about this lust ye have for another?_

"What can I do? Nothing. Sasuke would just try and kill me." Naruto said dejectedly. He looked at the ground below his elbow and sighed softly, "I want him. No." He said, shaking his head slowly back and forth, blonde locks swayed from side to side, "No, I need him." He said with a sudden fierceness in his voice. He looked at the kitsune; something prompted him to ask the fox, "Where can I find him?"

_Ah. Finally thy ar' asking questions once more that make sense. He is where thy heart tells ye he is. Follow thy heart and nose. Ye shall find him if ye looks hard enough. Now get out. I weary o' thy presence._

With that Naruto was dismissed, the red Kitsune with insane eyes melted back into the water. Naruto blinked several times, he stood upright and then opened his real eyes.

The sun had sunken farther behind the trees, long shades reached for his body, he could feel the shadows creeping up on him. He looked back the way he'd come. He'd have to square things with Sakura and Sai eventually; but now was not that time. Naruto stood up, his black and orange suit crinkled faintly as he looked towards his home. He closed his eyes and thought long and hard about something. He opened them, normal azure orbs blinked once, then closed and the boy turned his back on his Village and jumped off out of sight.

_Sasuke-kun! I'm coming-tebayo!_


	3. Following the fox

**Characters** Sakura, Sai, two gate guards

**Summary** Sai and Sakura try to find out where Naruto went after Sai ripped him off of Sakura's shoulder

**Disclaimer** I don't own any Naruto characters... at least, not ones created by Kishimoto. ;;

* * *

Sakura's shoulder had been fine, really the claws hadn't indented very much… She looked at Sai as he stared off in the direction that Naruto had gone. It had been roughly half and hour since Naruto had suddenly run off. Sakura's shoulder was still a little sore, but that was the extent of her injuries. Her emerald eyes met the ebony orbs on Sai's face. She looked at him a moment and nodded her head that she was all right. 

"What was that all about? I've never seen Naruto-kun do that before."

Sai told her, looking at her, the shirt he was wearing was a short-cropped shirt that exposed his mid-rift, and he wore shorts as well. _He looks like a female Ino with black hair._ Sakura found herself thinking suddenly as she watched him, she blinked when he called her attention to the question again. She blushed, "I don't know, I've seen him do that once… but there was something different this time." She said softly, looking at her knees.

"What did you tell him Sakura?"

"I told him the news about Sasuke-kun."

"And he went berserk? Just like that?"

"Yeah…" Sakura shivered slightly, "I don't know what has gotten into him. It was like he was _scared_ or something." She said softly and looked down at her fingernails. She blinked back a few tears, "The change he went through was so sudden… He was a completely different person in under a second." She shivered, remembering the last time she'd encountered Naruto like that, fear shimmied up and down her spine as she thought about that a moment. Looking over her shoulder as if Naruto might be there, she shifted closer to Sai who suddenly looked uncomfortable with her being so close. He wasn't sure what to do.

None of the books he'd read had explained what to do when a friend was in distress. Oh, he knew the signs of it -and she was displaying all of the signs- but what he was supposed to do was going to be covered in the next chapter – a chapter he hadn't read yet. He gulped slightly, he cursed all of those years in the ROOTS and looked at Sakura helplessly. Hesitantly, not wanting to be suddenly attacked by the female, he lifted up the arm closest to her and pulled her into a (hopefully) comforting hug.

Sai thought about the Naruto he'd seen just a few moments before as he held her loosely. He thought hard about the Naruto he'd come to know, and the Naruto he'd seen about an hour ago. There was something else in the male's face that had caused Sai to look deeper into Naruto's eyes, there was only two -okay, three if ya want to get technical- words for it; lust and longing. But lust and longing for what? At the time Sai had thought it had been a lust for pain, Sai had heard Sakura crying out from three blocks down, but there wasn't a single smile on Naruto's lips, no grin. His eyes were dark and a bloody red color. When Sai had taken Naruto's clawed hand off of Sakura's shoulder he'd seen something that had scared him – Bewilderment. It was like Naruto hadn't even realized what he'd done to Sakura's shoulder.

Sai looked over at Sakura, he didn't loose his cool, and he didn't tell her of his suspicions. She was in enough pain as it was. He blinked, not noticing that he was staring at her until she brought it to his attention. He blinked a few times and looked at her, "How long as it been?" She asked softly, looking teary-eyed at her new teammate, "How long has it been since Naruto left?" She asked softly. Sai looked at her, his black gaze traveled up towards the sun, the lengthening shadows told him it had been a few hours.

Looking into her eyes he knew she knew that as well. He got up slowly and looked at her, "We should go after him Sakura." He blinked. _Drat, I forgot to add the 'chan' again, damn! This friend thing is hard!_ He scolded himself silently; he glanced over at her and nodded his head when she stood up. "Where do you think he went Sakura-chan?" He asked her, carefully remembering the proper ending for her name and status. Sakura looked up at the sun, her gloved hand found it's way into her hair, she sighed, "That ramen stand… He's bound to be there…" She said distantly, already leaping off to look for her other lost teammate. Sai nodded his head and followed her after a few seconds.

It took them only a few moments to get to the ramen stand, within those few seconds they found that Naruto hadn't been passed there in over a week – the Old Man was worried about the kid. He asked Sakura to keep a look out for him if she found him, tell him that he had a bowl of ramen waiting just for him. Sakura had nodded her head, Sai and the medical-nin departed from the shop without another word.

"Oh, where could he be?" Sakura asked, looking afraid, her voice was tight with worry; her strong hands shivered and shook with panic.

"Could he have left the village?" Sai inquired to the pink-haired female. Sakura shook her head, he snorted, "I bet he did Sakura, he looked pretty stricken when I ripped his hand off of your shoulder." He told her, looking her full in the eyes, she dropped her gaze after a second of those black searching eyes, finding herself unable to look into those truthful obsidians.

"He didn't mean to hurt me Sai." She told him softly, "I could tell, something just made him tense." She said, trying to assure herself that that was, indeed, why Naruto had grasped her shoulder so hard that it had bled. Sai snorted, "Bull. I bet he ran like a coward." He said it much more harshly than he meant too and found that he was now staring into emerald flames. He blinked and took a step back, having already felt the strength in her punch one time too many. "Hey, hey," He said, holding up his hands, "Let's check the gate okay? Maybe the guards saw him run out, alright?" He tried to assure her. The fire left her eyes, replaced by a sad longing and she nodded her head. "Alright." She said softly, she looked up towards the gates (which were far from view) and thought; _Naruto, where are you? What's wrong with you? What happened to you that day with Sasuke…?_

Shaking her head, the female ninja knew that none of her answers would become evident until she met with Naruto again and forced him to tell her the truth that he was so obviously running from. Maybe she'd tell him about her own feelings. Maybe.

When Sai touched her shoulder she nodded her head and sprang off towards the gates of Konoha. They neared the gates after a few moments; the air around here was stagnant, as if something had blocked the flow of air from this area of Konohagakure. Sakura blinked, noticing it instantly, _It smells of Naruto,_ she thought faintly, having no idea when she'd noticed that Naruto had a scent. It was a sweet, like pork, but smooth like ramen noodles. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. _Naruto smells of ramen. _She thought with a silent, sad chuckle. _He'll be happy to hear that I bet._

They touched down near the gate and looked at the two guards. Before Sakura could open her mouth to inquire about Naruto, the guards spoke;

"What's up with Naruto? He tore outta here like his ass was on fire!" They said, eyes wide and staring at each other and then towards Sai and Sakura. Those two shared a moment, then they asked the guard their questions, the questions were the usual, 'what time did he flash by?' 'has he been back through yet?'. By the time they were done, Sakura was afraid for Naruto's well being. He seemed to have come through here like an orange and black whirlwind. _Oh Naruto, what's wrong with you?_ She agonized silently. Sai gripped her hand gently, "Sakura, should we report this to Tsunade-sama or should we go after him?" He asked her, looking her right in the eyes.

Sakura faltered a moment go after Naruto second? She couldn't stand the thought of it at all. With a shake of her head and a look towards the gate Sai knew her answer. Of course, he'd know what she was going to say before he asked it, but still, it was right to give her the illusion of choice. Sai turned back and addressed the gate guards who were watching them with intense interest, Sai gathered his thoughts in a flash and spoke in his deadpan voice, "Please inform Hokage-sama that Sakura and I are going after Naruto who ran away from Konohagakure this morning after being informed about Sasuke." He said, nodding his head towards them, he re-grasped Sakura's hand and tugged her towards the gate's gaping doors. Sakura had little choice but to follow him; not that she was complaining really.


	4. Hebi watching

**Characters** Sasuke, Karin, Suigetsu, and Naruto

**Summary** We look in and see what sort of trouble Team Hebi have gotten themselves into. What's this? Sasuke can hear Naruto?

**Disclaimer **I don't own any of the Naruto Characters... I'll leave that in the capable hands of Kishimoto-sensei! -3

* * *

"Sasuke-san?"

"…"

"Sasuke?"

"…what?"

"You've been silent for too long, humor me with your words."

"Hn. No."

"Rejected! Ehehehehehehehehheh."

"Shut up Suigetsu."

"Aww… whhhhy?"

"Because he told you too fish-bait!"

"Why you--! Crazy bitch!"

"Scaly freak!"

"Oh! You, you!"

"Me, me what? Cat got your tongue?"

"Why you--! I'll kill you--!!"

"Ha! You couldn't kill a flea!"

"Why you--! Come'er bitch!"

"…"

"Oh? Make me you big fish-man! Make me! Kekekekekeke!"

"I'll get you—"

"Enough. Stop it both of you. I didn't free you so that you could act like idiots."

"W-what are you talking about!? I'm not with you guys! I just happen to be going the same way!"

"Riiight Karin. You wish."

"Shut up shark-teeth."

"_Silence._"

Silence did reign over the three as they kept walking along the dark hallway. In the middle was a handsome black-haired man, the heartthrob of any female, Uchiha Sasuke. His duck-ass hair had mellowed out a little since he'd matured. His blank orbs have delved down far enough into the blank emotion that they had matched those of Sai before he'd met Naruto and Sakura. The Uchiha was wearing the tan shirt, open from the top to the bottom, he wore shorts under that and then a large ridiculous purple rope that had been around his waist was ties in a bow in front. He looked _almost_ appraisable. The black sword hung at his back, hilt pointing to his right shoulder, in easy reach of his left hand, though he was positive there was nothing faster than him.

On his right was a male who looked rather putout. This was Suigetsu, a test subject of Orochimaru himself. He had pale blonde hair that lay flat on top of his head and brought out the eeriness of his eyes. His eyes were a pale color, almost indefinable. On his back was a large sword. It looked worn and well used and cared for. The hilt had many extra grips for either choking up on the blade or letting it go, the sword was angled down from his right shoulder. The blade was odd, it started out rectangular, and then the edge swooped off to the right. There was a large hole in it, on purpose of course.

On the other side walked what might have been considered a female version of Sasuke, had Sasuke been born a female and not the sexy male that he was, or with bright pink hair and eyes, or if he allowed his bangs to grow out on one side. This female, however, was nothing like the ever silent and brooding Sasuke, she was leaning more towards the bi-polar side of the scale, her ability however, was craved after in by people. Karin's black orbs were shimmering with emotion, she glared at Suigetsu and offered a hard smile to Sasuke, the glasses on her face shifted and she quickly brought up a hand to fix them before they hindered her view.

"You think he's in there Sasuke?"

"Of course."

"You two aren't really going to get Juugo are you?"

"Of course we are, you temperamental bitch!"

"Why you--!"

"Stop it. Both of you."

"….Sasuke…"

"What?"

"What use do you have for Juugo?"

Sasuke turned to look at Karin a moment and rested his right hand on his hip. He blinked a moment, then nodded his head, "Juugo is the creator… well, his condition is what caused the Cursed Seal to come about, remember?" He said in his monotone voice, she flinched as if he'd called her stupid.

"I know but… he's dangerous…" She leaned closer to Sasuke as if she were scared, or if she were sharing her deepest secret, "Or crazy." She said, shaking her head and looking almost proud of herself. The successor of Zabuza laughed loudly, "You sayin' you ain't crazy bitch?" He taunted her, daring her to start another battle that would likely be finished by Sasuke once more.

However, Sasuke was a bit preoccupied.

His black orbs were drawn off to the distance. As if he'd heard something that the other two obviously hadn't heard. He blinked slowly and looked towards the sunlight, something was coming from that direction, however, if he so chose it wouldn't find him. Sasuke's normally bland face curved into a darker brooding look, which one might call thoughtful, however, Sasuke's eyes closed for a moment – then opened. Deep crimson orbs with three dots stared in the direction he'd been staring at.

_Sasuke! I'm coming-tebayo!_

_Naruto?_

His sharingan orbs widened with shock, hadn't he scared off Naruto the last time that they'd seen each other? Sasuke, known for his blank face, quickly regained his composure and ignore Karin and the other while they fought. He blinked a few times and looked towards the direction he knew Naruto would come from. A thought however on Sasuke's mind; Why was Naruto following him now? Had something changed?

"You senile bitch! Give that back!"

"No! Make me fishbait!"

"Why--!"

"Go ahead! Wave that sword around! I'll cut you to bits!"

"Arrrgh! This sword is a legacy!"

"Of what? Over-compensating?!"

"Why you--!"

Sasuke looked over at his minions. He would need them and their abilities, but they really got on his nerves sometimes. It was like living on a team comprised of two Naruto's, and those two hated each other. Sasuke sighed and lifted up his right hand and gently touched the side of his head as he studied Karin and Suigetsu. He really needed them to complete his plans. Remaining silent, Sasuke's orbs returned to normal, he thought about his brother, had Itachi done something to make Naruto mad? Sasuke doubted it. Itachi wasn't that sort of person, he was calm… collected… and cold. Sasuke blinked suddenly, he was much like what Sasuke had become! It amazed and sickened Sasuke to think that he had become like his brother, his outward face however, hadn't changed on bit.

Karin pulled out a kunai swiftly and glared at the other male, "I told you already! I'm not with you guys! I just happen to be going the same way as the two of you!" She said, seriously pissed off now, the male standing opposite taunted her, "Of reeeeeaaallly?! I think you are and your just having a 'moment'." He said to her spitefully, he paused, looking almost thoughtful, then sharp teeth flashed into a huge smile as he looked at Karin, "Or maybe it's that time of the month…?" He said, his orbs flashed over to Karin. The female was so mad she was sputtering words and actions that she would do to him.

The match almost came to blows until Sasuke stopped the two of them by walking between the two and staring at them, first at Suigetsu, then at the female who might have been a reflection of him. He didn't look away from them until they dropped his blank and disapproving gaze.

"Now," he said softly, he knew they were listening, he went on, "enough with the fighting, I'm tired of it. One more outburst and I'll kill both of you." However, he would never really do that to them, they were too important to his mission for him to lose.

Karin looked at the fish-boy and nodded her head when the other nodded his head as well. They looked at Sasuke and both noticed the far-away look in Sasuke's eyes. Of course, neither of them spoke to Sasuke, he seemed to be looking at something far away, Sasuke muttered something under his breath, to Karin it sounded like 'nauho' she blinked, "Nauho?" she whispered to herself almost silently.

To her polar opposite, it sounded like Sasuke had said, 'naruto', of course, being the 'good' minion he was, he didn't say anything. He had no clue however, who or what a 'naruto' was. He just stood there and looked at Sasuke while he waited for his leader to give them the order to move out. He sighed softly and shook his head, pale locks drifted over his face and off to one side. He thought for a moment about Konoha, he'd been there a while back… almost angrily he shook his head and drove the thoughts away.

Sasuke nodded his head and gave them a curt order to move out and head for the North Base so that they could find Juugo and get out of here. In flash, the three were gone into the distance and farther from Naruto.


	5. Do we follow?

**Characters** Sakura, Sai

**Summary** Short, but Sakura and Sai discuss why they are following Naruto, Sakura holds some hesitancy until Sai tells her that it's okay.

**Disclaimer** I don't own Sakura or Sai, though if I had my pick, Sakura wouldn't be a character.

* * *

Sakura looked over at Sai, she searched his face, he was totally different from when they had first met him, she thought to herself silently. Before he'd been a silent jerk, kind of like how Sasuke had started out… she blinked, swerving to dodge the tree branch she'd almost hit with her face. She shook herself and gave herself a mental scolding, _Sakura! Get a hold of yourself women! You have to focus on the goal!_ But what was the goal? She pondered to herself, was it to get Naruto back? What was her mission this time?

Sakura stuck her feet out in front of her, catching on a branch she halted her movement in a flash. With a rustle up ahead she knew that Sai had done the same. With bewildered emerald orbs, Sakura looked over at Sai who had just come into view. Sakura shook her head slowly and looked at Sai who'd come to be standing in front of her. She blinked and looked up at Sai's impassive face, she blinked, Sai spoke softly. He came nearer to her until he was able to touch her. Which he did, he lifted up a hand and rested it hesitantly hand on her shoulder, "Are you alright Sakura-chan?" _Oh Sai… you just have to keep trying so hard…_ Sakura nodded her head and looked down from Sai's unknowingly piercing orbs, "What are we doing Sai?" She asked softly, looking up at the former ROOTS member with a question in her green eyes. Sai looked puzzled for a moment, "We're getting Naruto back, aren't we Sakura?" He asked, looking like a puppy that has done something and hopes its done the right thing.

Sakura had to smile at that, but she sobered in a minute, "What if he doesn't want us to find him Sai?" she asked softly, looking back at the ground again, a slender hand grasped her chin firmly and tugged her pale chin gently upwards. Emerald eyes reluctantly met obsidian orbs, Sai looked deep into her eyes, "What do you think Sakura?" He asked, she felt a chill creep up her spine and run back down, looking into those orbs as they went from friendly to ROOTS blank scared her. She looked at him, then her right hand lifted and delicately placed itself on the slender and paler wrist of Sai. She nodded her head, he was right of course, she smiled, grateful to Sai.

Sai smiled and tilted his head to the side after a moment, then he righted it and nodded to her, "Sakura, if we're going to go after Naruto, you have to put your full effort into it." He told her seriously. Sakura nodded her head and offered Sai a smile, which he returned in a few seconds, still not used to this 'smiling' thing. She chuckled softly and looked around her, "But, Sai…" She said softly, "We don't have any leads, how can we find him?" Sai chuckled softly, Sakura looked at him; puzzled, "What?" She asked in a huffy voice, planting her hands on her hips and shifting them over to the side slightly, Sai continued chuckling and shook his head slowly from side to side.

Sakura was starting to get annoy when he finally nodded his head and smiled at her, "I've found that Naruto leaves a trail of chakra behind him when he goes somewhere." He told her, looking her in the eyes carefully, "Can't you feel his chakra?" He asked, looking to the right and then to the left, "I mean, it reeks of Naruto." He said ruefully, Sakura inhaled slowly and then blinked in surprised.

The air smelled of ramen. She chuckled and nodded her head, she pointed out her finger in a very Naruto-like imitation and said, "We'll follow that ramen!" She said dramatically, Sai chuckled and nodded his head, "Now you're talking Sakura-san!" He said approvingly, with a quick grin at Sai, they two of them started off with a new goal in heart and an easier air about them.

---

**Afterword**

Please R&R! I really enjoy reading them... thanks for the 500+ hits in under 24 hours everyone! It makes me feel really special that you care enough to read it; or that you were that interested in in enough to read it! It really makes me want to write more.

I know that this chapter is really short, but I just couldn't find a way to lengthen it would making it seem too flowery and stuff. I don't know about you guys, but a story that's all words isn't all that great.

So I decided that I'm five chapters in... why not answer some of the reviews that I've got? A few of them are really good as far as questions go.. well, okay one. So I'll answer that one for everyone now.

**From: **ObessedReader  
**Message:** why does Kyuubi talk like he's from Shakespeare or Medieval England??

**Answer:** I had a feeling that the Kyuubi has been around a long time, so I thought it might be cool to separate the differences in characters ages by giving him (I'll call the Kyuubi a 'him' if I want too! D: ) a different style of speaking. 


	6. The chasers

**Characters** Gate Guard, Tsunade, Kakashi, Iruka

**Summary** Naruto's missing, and Iruka wants in on how to save him! Tsunade reveals that she wants him to go with Kakashi to save the boy and find Sakura and Sai. Kakashi's acting a little weird...

**Disclaimer** I do not own Naruto. ;;; Sadly.

* * *

"WHAT?!" Came the angry call from the Hokage's office, papers flew out the door and almost hit the person standing there. "SHE DID _**WHAT?!" **_That enraged female voice screamed from the room, there was a male voice, clearly afraid, but doing what he'd been asked to do.

Inside of the room, there was one of the two gate guards and Tsunade – the godaime Hokage. At the age of sixty she was a good-looking women, blonde hair that parted in the middle and elegantly displayed her face, in the center of her forehead was a green diamond, she had a slender neck, full breasts, yes, she was the very envy of women in Konoha; however, she was also scary-strong, especially when she had a temper. That temper was on full display at the moment, a pulse mark throbbed on her forehead as she glared out the widow. The green, tan and fishnet outfit that she wore everyday displayed her body properly, but that wasn't what was on the gate guards mind at the moment.

He was scared. _Really scared_. Tsunade didn't say anything for a few minutes; he was almost scared to talk to her for fear of incurring her wrath once more. He'd already had had to dodge several cases of paper and a book or two – he really didn't want to dodge anything anymore.

"So." Tsunade said, turning to look out the window, he could tell that the gambler-chick was cooling down, but only a little. He blinked and swallowed uncomfortably. "Yes Hokage-sama?" He asked, hesitant. "Tell me again what happened." She demanded curtly, still looking out the window.

He was only too glad she was doing that; he didn't think that he could have faced her at that moment. He swallowed, cleared his throat, stood straighter and reported again like a good shinobi:

"Early this morning, Uzumaki Naruto tore out of the Konohagakure gates without so much as a word of where he was going or when he planned to come back." The guard stopped to re-assess the situation, "A few hours later, Sakura and Sai came by questioning about Naruto. We, my partner and myself, were unable to tell them anything but other than Naruto had indeed left through the gates earlier that same day." He wiped some sweat off his brow, "After that they exchanged comments and requested that we should report to you that they were going to go after Naruto."

His sweat was almost soaking through his vest now, he was so scared. He'd watched, as he'd re-informed his leader about the situation, he'd seen her body tighten and he got ready to dodge again. He blinked; not hearing the door open, he didn't notice there were other people in the room until a gloved hand rested on his shoulder and a middle-aged voice called out, "Tsunade-sama, have you seen Naruto-kun?"

The guard (who had jumped at the gloved hand on his shoulder) found himself looking at Kakashi, one of the two men who'd been standing outside the door when the papers had suddenly flown out. Iruka stood on the mans' opposite, he was looking at Tsunade with worried black orbs, Kakashi looked over at Iruka, "Oi, didn't you hear? Naruto ditched Konoha." Kakashi's voice was difficult to describe, it was rough, but sad, and slightly amused. Iruka looked crestfallenly at Kakashi, "Oh… al-alright…" He said softly, looking at the ground suddenly, he bowed to Tsunade, who still hadn't said anything since Kakashi and Iruka had entered the room. He turned and started to walk out the door, his shoulders in a slump.

"Iruka."

Tsunade's cold voice ripped through him so fast that he was left with a clouded mind; he turned around after a moment and looked at Tsunade, who was still looking out the window, "Early this morning Naruto tore out of the Konoha gates. Do you know anything about this?" She still didn't turn around. Iruka thought a moment, "He seemed fine yesterday, and I haven't seen him since Hokage-sama." Iruka said truthfully, "I know Sakura went to get him this morning however." He shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know anything beyond that." He told her, turning to face her back fully.

Her face scared him, he watched her for a moment, the regained his lost composure, "What do you think happened Hokage-sama? What are we going to do about!?" He said, almost flying off into a panic, his orbs widened suddenly, "We have to find him! The Akatsuki is out there looking for him! What if they find him!?" Iruka's labored breathing filled the room for a moment. It had shocked all of the occupants that Iruka had reacted that fast to something that they had had no control over. Iruka got ready to start another semi-rant when a gloved hand placed itself over his mouth.

He felt the warmth from Kakashi's body as the jounin stood behind him, Iruka muttered and strained against that hand – but Kakashi leaned forward and told Iruka curtly, "Shut up." The chuunin's orbs widened suddenly, he looked at Tsunade for help, she had a stony expression in her eyes and he knew he'd get no help from her.

"Promise you'll be quiet and I'll let go."

Kakashi told him softly in his ear, his mouth close enough to Iruka's ear that the fabric that covered Kakashi's face brushed gently against Iruka's curved ear, a blush sprang up on Iruka face suddenly. He nodded his head and felt the gloved hand shift, then it came of his mouth and he straightened, he bowed his head; crestfallen, "I'm sorry Hokage-sama, it wasn't my place, you probably already have someone going after him." Iruka's face stung as if someone had slapped him, he'd spoken out of turn. --and to the Hokage nonetheless!-- He gulped and refused to look up at her.

"Actually, I don't."

He blinked and looked up, Iruka's mouth dropped, "What--?! You mean he's out there on his own!?" Iruka's rage returned in a flash, a hand on his shoulder tightened suddenly, drawing a hiss of pain from the chuunin. He turned and faced Kakashi suddenly, his eyes wide. He'd done it again! He blinked and looked at the floor. "S-sorry…" He said, knowing it wouldn't do any good. He blinked back tears, what if Naruto was in trouble?! He couldn't just stand here passively and act as if nothing had happened. He blinked, besides, why had Tsunade summoned them here anyway? He blinked and ventured a look back up at her for a moment, searching her wise old eyes.

"But have the team I wanted to send here already."

Iruka blinked, "What?" He asked, not understanding, he looked at Tsunade a moment, then at Kakashi, who looked totally serious. Iruka blinked again, "What…?" He asked a second time, looking from the Hokage to Kakashi, Kakashi smiled suddenly, "Do we have any leads?" He asked, his masked words easily heard, Iruka gulped. _We? _ He thought silently, looking from the Hokage to Kakashi still. He muttered something under his breath when Tsunade told them that she had a faint idea that Naruto was heading towards Sasuke. Iruka blinked and looked up, "Sakura told him the news I assume then." He guessed suddenly, "That's why he ran off, he panicked." Iruka said, his voice firm. He knew Naruto, and Sasuke was one of the few things that could get to him faster than anything else.

"Correct. I want you two to follow him and meet up with Sakura and Sai along the way."

"What?! Sakura and Sai are out there after him!?"

"Iruka, shut up for a moment will you?"

"But--!"

"They left without permission from me, they took off about a half an hour ago – I'm sure that both of you can catch up to them."

"But--! I--!"

"Iruka, shut up! We understand Hokage."

"Why do I get to go?!"

"I thought that was obvious Iruka."

"Well...its not…"

"Kakashi?"

"Hai, Iruka, you know Naruto the best, you can track him the fastest. You have a knack for finding him."

"I do?"

"Of course, you seem to be able to find him every time he runs off."

"I…I-I guess so…"

"So, what do you say Iruka, teammates?"

"Why does that sound like you're thinking something perverted?"

"Maa..."

"Eh!?"

"Enough, both of you. You have your assignment. You understand it? No questions?"

"Yes Hokage-sama."

"Yeah…"

"Dismissed."

"Oh, Kakashi, I forgot to mention… no reading on this mission."

"Hn…"

"Watch out, keep sighing like that and you'll give Shikamaru a run for his money."

"Wait-! Tsunade-sama, what about my classe-"

"Already taken care of."

"Erm… ok-okay…"

"Dismissed!"

Iruka frowned, but he nodded his head and left the room – he had everything that he would need. He blinked, still in a daze however, the male looked at Tsunade, her back already turned to him. He was frozen, this was his first mission in a long time. His first mission since Mizuki's return to Konoha. Iruka blinked again, his body was numb, he couldn't move for a few minutes. Then a warm, gloved hand clasped his shoulder and the whisper of a masked face brushed passed his ear, "Easy Iruka, don't question; just do. You want to follow him right?"

Iruka didn't move, he blinked and closed his eyes, his chin dropped to his chest; he knew he'd lost. He wanted to find Naruto with all of his being, his left hand came up, crossing his body as it inched up, his tentative fingers found and locked with Kakashi's gloved fingers, "We'll find him… right?" He asked hesitantly, looking towards Kakashi's knowing black eye. Kakashi smiled (or, Iruka _thought_ he smiled.) Kakashi nodded his head slowly, he silently had assured Iruka that he _would_ find Naruto. That _they_ would find Naruto they would find him _together_. Iruka gave him a weak smile.

"Alright. I believe you…"

"Good. Let's go."

"_What?!_ You two are still here Get out of here!"

Iruka blushed suddenly and both of them vanished out of the door, towards the gates. Iruka looked over at Kakashi as he pondered Naruto's sudden disappearance. He faltered a bit, stumbling and nearly falling. Kakashi was there suddenly, steadying him. Iruka glanced up at him as Kakashi clasped his hand, "We'll find him Iruka." He said softly, his face turned towards the direction that they were going "We'll find him." Iruka blushed silently, why was Kakashi being all touchy-feely now?

Iruka had been unsettled about it before, but once he'd grown used to it; he'd welcomed Kakashi's tender words. Iruka thought that perhaps he knew Kakashi better than anyone else did, they had spoken late at night, which usually ended up with Iruka being drunk and spilling things about his childhood that under any other sort of circumstance he would have kept a complete secret. They had a common goal and that goal had a name; Uzumaki Naruto. His student who was like a son, and a student who was like a close friend.


	7. Talk during a Lull

_**Characters**__ Naruto, Kyuubi_

_**Summary**__ Still chasing after Sasuke, Naruto is forced to take a breather, his body simply cannot keep up with the speed he is traveling at. In the moment of lull, he learns a shocking secret about Kyuubi…_

_**Disclaimer**__ I do not own Naruto. Or Iruka. Though if I had to pick, I would chose Iruka. OO;_

* * *

He had stopped for the night, his chest was heaving with the exertion he'd put himself through for the entire day. He sat there; leaning against the tree trunk, sweat pouring down his face and his legs aching with pain. He groaned slightly as he shifted himself into a better position for resting; his leg muscles then screamed at him for even thinking of moving. His arms couldn't take this for the rest of the day. Naruto let a groan slide from his mouth as he lay his head back, the black cloth of his headband swept into his face as he sighed, still panting with exertion.

"Hah, hah…"

He panted faintly, his azure eyes hidden behind his cream-colored lids, he sucked in a lungful of air and grimaced, "Hah, I-I have to keep going." He muttered to himself, his eyes refusing to open and his body refused to get moving. His panting subsided slowly, and then he was breathing easily. His eyes opened, his mouth now closed as he looked up at the branches overhead. He sighed softly; he dropped his chin down to his chest and sighed as his back hissed at him. He half-closed his eyes and stared down at his hands and clenched them with as much force as he could manage. It wasn't much.

"Shit, hah."

He commented, his hoarse voice rebounded from the quiet woods around him as he continued to look down at his calloused hands. He sighed, a simple shift of his leg had him sucking in breath and wincing with pain. He wasn't paying attention to anything else of course, but in his current state of being he didn't care. As he let out a sigh and tiled his head back, exposing his jugular to the sky around him as he allowed his hands to fall to his side.

_T'will do ye no good to be so tired out, Little Fox._

The Kyuubi's sarcastic voice jarred him awake, and with that jarring he snarled angrily and closed his eyes, "Shut up Fox. I don't want to talk to you." He said between clenched teeth. His eyes closed once more as he listened for the fox. With a sigh he thought of the miles he'd covered today with little rest. Perhaps he should have rested more, he reflected silently, looking up at the ever-darkening sky above him. He heaved a sigh and placed his head against the rough bark of the tree behind him.

_Perhaps? Ye should have rested ye fool._

The fox snarled angrily at him, Naruto frowned, "Shut up Fox, it's not like you're harmed if I hurt myself." He said in an annoyed tone of voice. He could almost hear the fox spitting with rage at him. Briefly he placed a hand on his belly, over the seal, and found to his surprise that it was warm to the touch. He snarled angrily, "Angry with me, eh Fox?" He grinned savagely, "Deal with it you bastard." He snarled and opened his mouth. He snorted softly and looked around; for a few seconds he tried to guess when the fox would respond.

_Since when am I male?_

The voice was a soft hiss, filled with hate, rage, and the urge to kill. Naruto blinked several times as he stared in shock at the tree in front of him. "Huh? What do you mean Fox? Of course you're a male." He said, one eyebrow ducking down and lifting the other in a sarcastic manner. He could almost hear an audible sigh from the Fox, and he chuckled nastily.

_Come and see for yerself, besides, let ye body rest, little fox; I have much to show ye, and even more to explain._

Obediently, mostly because of his curiosity and thirst for danger, Naruto closed his eyes and within the span of three deep breaths he was looking at his core; the entire waterlogged passage of it. Of course, the water was never cold; it was warm to the touch, though it didn't taste very good (Naruto had tried once before, he never did so again). The genin headed towards the Fox's cage, as he did so he was aware of more and more light emitted from the passage in front of him. _Fox! _He shouted angrily, his azure eyes blazed with anger as he charged forward.

It was something he did quite often, he would near the fox's cage, then fury would overtake his body, he never knew from whence it came, but the feeling passed quickly and then he was back to his old self. With a snort he broke from a headlong run to a fast trot, and then he slowed to a walk with the ease of someone who knows his body inside and out and just how to control it.

Once he broke into the larger domed room, his skin took on a red tint, that red tint came from the dusky light and the flame-red of the fox's eyes. Naruto snorted, as unimpressed as ever as he neared the Fox's lair. He yawned, _What's this about you not being a male?_ He said angrily, his hand coming up and covering his mouth as he yawned mightily. The hissing of bubbles alerted him to the fact that the Fox was creating a smaller version of himself so he could beat the genin around. Naruto stopped mid-stretch to look at the bubbling figure.

He expected a small fox with nine tails.

What he didn't expect was a women.

And she was a sexy women at that.

_Huh?! _He yelled, darting back a few feet as his azure eyes centered on the Kyuubi. He frowned, _Who're you? _He challenged, snarling like a dogfox would if he were cornered. His rage built as the female's stunning lips curved into a deadly smile. He lowered his chin, his eyes sharpened with anger as he watched her in all of her feral beauty.

She was a beautiful thing, looking at her one could tell that she was powerful, deadly, cunning. Naruto was almost smitten on the spot. He stood there, his hands balled as he looked at her in utter shock. _W-who are you? _He asked again, the anger in his voice had faded as he looked at the vixen. His eyes caught on the swiping motion of her tail as she stood there; her body was covered in a red kimono. It was off her shoulders, crossing just in front of her beast, red hair splayed off her scalp and down her back, vixen ears twitched as she looked at him with feral eyes. A cunning smile was on her lips, exposing a sharp canine tooth. Her nails were painted red and sharpened to points. On her face were three pronounced 'whiskers' like on Naruto's.

He felt himself touching his, looking at her in utter shock. _N-noway! _He said, stumbling back a few more steps. _Y-you c-can't be! _He growled, trying to regain his earlier attitude; he failed.

The KyuubiVixen smiled at him, her chin lifted an her body read utter seduction, her single fox tail whisked behind her, the bracelets on her right wrist. In her hand was a smoking pipe, the swirls of smoke curled around her body as she let out a breath of air, emitting smoke that curled from her red lips, "Can't be what, Little Fox?" She asked, her eyes narrowed playfully, "That I can't be the Kyuubi since I'm not male?" She asked, stalking closer to him as she did so.

Naruto backed up for every step she took forward. He frowned, _N-no, you simply can't be_. He said, firm in his belief. He snarled and bristled as her deep laughter rang out, mocking him and everything he stood for. _S-stop that. _He growled, his walking back was jarred to a halt as his back came in contact with the wall. He frowned and looked up at it as if wondering why the hell it was there. His attention was pulled back to the KyuubiVixen as she kept stalking towards him. She stopped a few feet away, her red-heeled shoes clacked on the ground as she looked at him.

"Afraid, Little Fox?"

She mocked quietly, looking at him, "Surprised?" She mocked again, her hand drifted up with deadly grace as she placed the end of her pipe in her mouth, inhaled and blew out a thin train of smoke. She chuckled, "I am what I am. And I'm tired of everyone mistaking me for a male. Since I can't do anything about it; I have to let it go." She heaved an almost-regretful breath as she looked at Naruto. Her pale skin was aglow in contrast from her _very red_ clothes and hair.

Naruto gulped and stood up, he frowned at her, _Then why didn't you tell me before? _He demanded, almost snarling with fury as he looked at her, he knew she wouldn't hurt him of course; to hurt him would hinder her. That was a sa—

"Who says I won't?"

He jerked up, looking at her with wide azure eyes. _What? _He asked, his eyes blinked several times, _D-did you… just…? _He asked, at a complete loss. He couldn't believe it; he stared in open shock at the KyuubiVixen. She smiled coyly and nodded her head ever so slightly, "I did. Surprised?" She asked seductively.

Dumbly, Naruto just nodded his head. He wasn't being his old self at the moment, he was too stupefied to do anything but stare in open-mouthed shock at what he had just witnessed in the past few minutes. His orange-colored hair shifted as an invisible wind blew through the strands. His azure orbs where still wide and unbelieving as he looked at the KyuubiVixen, as he watched her, he noticed something odd about her.

She didn't seem to be totally corporeal. She seemed, somehow, there and not there at the same time. As if he could just make out the wall behind her, but only if he focused really hard on the wall. He shivered as he noticed her take a delicate step towards him. He flinched back, the water around him rippled wildly. In his state of stupor, he noted briefly that the water around her never once moved, the ripples were stilled somehow.

Then, as she stalked like a predator to her helpless prey, his courage and foolhardy bravery came rushing back as swiftly as it had abandoned him. He snarled at her and her advance stopped. Relieved that it had worked, he got to his feet (not really remembering when he'd fallen onto the ground). He glared at the KyuubiVixen. It then occurred to him that he didn't know what to call her.

"Fujin." She answered shortly, her curt manner made her seem nasty, she practically snarled the word at him. Then he heard it -- the part of her that he could sympathize with; the need to be accepted by others. He knew that feeling all too well, a smile grew on his face as he thought about how similar the two of them really were. He chuckled softly at first, then louder until he was almost roaring with laughter.

All the while she watched him with narrowed eyes. She was practically glaring at him as he laughed aloud. She snarled at him, low at first, then it too, grew in volume until it was just as loud as it was opposite to his powerful laugh. Naruto stopped laughing the moment he detected the antonym, he tilted his head to the side as he looked at the KyuubiVixen. _Fujin, you say? That's your name? _He asked quietly, not making fun of her, he knew firsthand what sort of power names had when they were used with malicious intent. He wasn't about to make fun of her, _Well, quit growling at me, Fujin. It's not going to help you in the least if you want to talk._ He said cockily because that's the only way he knew how to speak. Fujin tilted her head to the side slightly, her almost liquid red-hair cascaded down her neck and over her shoulder as she looked at Naruto with her cold eyes.

"Ah. I suppose you would know." She said softly, her voice delicate, but under that delicacy, there was raw fury and suppressed rage. Her hands came up as she stalked closure to Naruto, Fujin lifted up her hands and delicately trailed her fingers down his smooth cheek, her nails caught softly and faintly on the small divots in his skin where the pseudo-whiskers were. She tuttered softly as she looked at him with her shockingly cold eyes. "Had enough of a fright for the day?" She asked gently, her face only a little bit apart from his.

This close, he could see the overly sharp canines that she had. He gulped softly and nodded his head. He knew he'd see and feel it. He was acutely aware of what she was doing with her hands (currently they were on his shoulder). His nose, being far sharper than most people, picked up on the scent of female that rose from every pore in her body. It was a nice smell, but it made him feel odd, so he backed away from her, breaking the contact, and hopefully the scent. Unfortunately, her scent clung to him. He snorted and threw her a sidelong glare.

She stared back as innocently as a seductive, cunning, and deadly fox only could. He shivered as he was met glare for slightly smirk. He snarled at her and pulled himself out of the waterworks of his inside. As he opened his real eyes, he was amazed to discover that it was far later than he thought it would be. And to his annoyance he found that her scent still clung to his skin, mingling with the ramen scent he'd worked so hard to acquire. He snorted angrily and moved his legs (which protested, loudly.)

"Damn. Still sore."

He said softly, tilting his head forward and he looked at his blissfully limp body. He heaved a sigh and looked up at the twilight sky that had spread out above him and the canopy of the tree he was resting on. The sky was about the same shade of sapphire that his eyes were. He thought it a nice color.

Then, as his vision traveled to the darker, near black blue color, he thought of his goals. _Sasuke_He thought gently, the name was like a lover's kiss on his skin. He shivered from the power that just speaking the name caused him. He had a good idea about what Sasuke looked like at the moment, since he'd only seen him a month or so ago. He could remember the almost gentle/blank look that Sasuke had given each of them. Naruto could see the pale skin that his tan gii revealed. He'd hungrily drank in what the body of Sasuke looked like. He'd had t fight hard not to lick his lips when he'd stared hungrily at the exposed belly.

What had Sasuke thought of him?

Had he thought him mature? Older? Handsomer? Uglier?

Naruto found himself really wanting to know. He was dimly aware of everything that was going on around him at the moment, but it was still, calm, his awareness was fading as he slipped further and further into the dream-world, his body at long last relaxed fully, he allowed his firm and brave exterior to fade away into his normal look. A slightly loose lower lip, nearly-closed eyes that had taken on a slightly glazed look. His chest rose and fell as he fell into a deep sleep.

As he slipped into a sleep, a form shimmered further on the branch in front of him and slowly came into more and more focus as he fell more and more asleep. It finally took on the form of Fujin. She glanced down at Naruto, then she glanced around, kneeling on the branch, she scooped up Naruto in her arms, and jumped down to the ground. She smiled slightly, "What lengths I go to protect my jailer." She said, shaking her head from side to side as she settled him down on the ground, feeling her powers grow as he fell more and more asleep. She gently kissed his cheek with her full lips. Her breasts jiggled slightly as she stood back up. "Well. I suppose you really aren't my jailer. You had nothing to do with it. You just happened to be my unwilling virgin sacrifice. Poor boy." She said, almost sounding sad, but that ring of anger still clouded her voice as she looked down at the boy as she remembered the Father.

Her teeth bared in hatred as she thought about Minato. Her lips curled back in disgust as she remembered the night so long ago when she had her freedom ripped from her so rudely. As she looked down at the yellow-haired male with the intense sapphire eyes, she sighed, crouching down, she was now at as full power as she would get, she snorted slightly and looked around. Her ears twitched, in tune with the night life going on around her. Nothing could escape her vision.

As she knelt there, she watched Naruto, as she so often did when he was asleep. Not because she was a stalker, or had… feelings… for Naruto, but to see if he might possibly turn out like his Father. Minato had been a one-of-a-kind man, he could never be replaced. As she looked up above her to see the sky, she was annoyed to find that there was a large tree branch in the way. She snarled shortly, careful to keep it quiet, so she wouldn't wake up Naruto.

She snorted, her jail cell -- and she was worried about it. How odd. Why should she care if he didn't get any sleep. She knew the answer to that question, but the truth wasn't something that she could face at the moment. She looked around one last time, then she settled down next to Naruto, pulling his heavy and limp body towards her, she rested his head atop her built-in pillows and allowed him to sleep deeper. She hated it this was the only time she was able to manifest outside of Naruto's body. The seal was weakening, but she had found (much to her surprise) that she didn't mind being sealed inside the maggot's body anymore. It intrigued her.

She thought long and hard about her life up until this point. It hadn't been so bad. Not really. He hadn't used her power to take over the world (like she had hoped in the beginning), but he hadn't used it to try and right every wrong (something she hated with a passion). He was just him, he put himself out on the thinnest limb he could find to try and rescue his friends. With a sigh she ran her delicate, thing fingers through his hair, listening to him purr softly in response while still being asleep.

It was moments like these that she truly did not mind being sealed inside of this annoying loud-mouth. The calmness of his face fascinated her to no end, she could stare at his closed eyes, watching small bumps move just under his lids as he dream-saw. She watched his mouth mumble in dream-talk. It was truly a highlight of her life.

Since she had been sealed inside of the boy, she had thought her life had sucked, nothing was worse than being inside of this annoying brat, but just looking at him asleep was enough to make her want to protect him just as much as a vixen would protect her kits. Fujin's lips turned up into a small smile, then they opened and formed words. "Well, my little fox, you have done what was thought to be undoable. I, the most destructive force in the world, want to protect your life. How odd." She stated softly to the still deeply-sleeping Naruto. As she watched over him in the night, she would stroke his hair, or fix his clothing.

As she felt her powers wane, she knew the boy would awaken soon enough. Swiftly, while she could still touch things in this plane of life, she set out food for the male and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek, then her form blurred, faded, and vanished into a thing trail of red smoke that floated gently back over to the sleeping boy and soaked into his skin. The seal glowed faintly until the last essence of Fujin was finally back in the seal as Naruto slowly started the waking-up process.

When at last his azure eyes opened, he was aware of two things -- one, he wasn't with Sasuke as he had been in his dream; and two, he was covered in a delicious smell and there was food prepared for him by his feet. He blinked again, noticing a third thing -- he was no longer up in his tree. He yawned, not caring yet since he still hadn't awakened fully. The smell on his skin reminded him of something however, he couldn't place it… but it reminded him of security, protection.

While he strove to protect others, here, at last, was someone who was going to protect him. He just didn't know who this mysterious person was.

Fully awake now, he stretched, his still-sore muscles bunched and cramped on him, making the air rush from his lungs as he struggled with appeasing them. He winced and reached for a piece of the food, grabbing one and nibbling on it, he tasted a rush of tang and sweet, smooth taste. He cooed his approval and sat down to eating it.

Dimly, he wasn't truly aware if he had heard it or not, he heard the gentle, loving sound of a happy person.

* * *

Sorry for the long break, the plot of this story fled from my muse. Or he tried to hide it. Which ever. Either way, after he hide/it fled, he died and didn't tell me when he'd be back. --;;;;;

Oh, the female Kyuubi picture description goes to _Croaky_ from DeviantArt. Oo;; She's amazing and founded this "female Kyuubi" I think…

And 'Fujin' (please don't kill me for giving her a name…) Can mean, Heartlessness, Inhumanity, Women or Female. : I think it fits, no?


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